Another option many teams are employing is asking veterans to take pay cuts or threatening them with their release. Bears with relatively high salaries include tight end Kellen Davis ($2.5 million in cap savings), receiver Devin Hester ($2.4 million), receiver Earl Bennett ($2.35 million) and tight end Matt Spaeth ($1.6 million).

There is still a lot of misunderstanding, and misinformation out there about the cap. Last night the SCORE after midnight guy was going on and on about how the franchising of Melton has taken all the Bears cap. Not Les Grobstein but the Friday night guy replacing him. I have yet to hear anyone on the sports babble shows describe the Bears situation the same way.

Original Deal: 2 year 18 million
New Deal: 4 years 44 million/30 guaranteed [11 million a season like other top WRs]
Total Contract: 6 years 62 million/30 guaranteed [44 million in new money, 30 million in new guarantees]

Year 1 Original Deal [2013]: 1 million salary/2 guaranteed [3]
Year 2 Original Deal [2014]: 5 million salary/4 million guaranteed [9]
Year 3: 6 million salary/ 7 million guaranteed [13]
Year 4: 6 million salary/ 7 million guaranteed [13]
Year 5: 6 million salary/ 7 million guaranteed [13]
Year 6: 9 million salary/ 3 million guaranteed [12] Probably Released, also low bonus space for restructuring.

CB Charles Tillman [5 million saved]

Original Deal: 1 year 8 million
New Money: 3 years 21 million/15 guaranteed [7.25 average salary]
Total Contract 4 years 29 million/15 guaranteed

Year 1 Original Deal [2013]: 1 million salary/2 guaranteed [3]
Year 2: 3 million salary/ 5 million guaranteed [8]
Year 3: 4 million salary/ 5 million guaranteed [9]
Year 4: 6 million salary/ 3 million guaranteed [9] Can be cut for a 5 million savings.

I don't think he has, I thought I read that he was on vacation so it won't get signed until he gets back at the earliest.

I'd imagine they would want to wait until after the first round of FA b/c until he signs that tender it doesn't count against the cap._________________2013 Bears Forum Mike Ditka Award Winner
2014 Adopt-A-Bear Alshon Jeffery

I don't think he has, I thought I read that he was on vacation so it won't get signed until he gets back at the earliest.

I'd imagine they would want to wait until after the first round of FA b/c until he signs that tender it doesn't count against the cap.

I don't think there is any reason for Melton to sign it before the 15th. I guess, conceivably, the Bears could rescind it - or Melton could suffer a catastrophic injury - but otherwise what is the value in Melton signing the tender? Might as well keep his options open and continue negotiating towards a long term deal._________________

The Chicago Bears already have restructured the contract of Julius Peppers once, and that's a primary reason the club may look for other ways to create additional cap space for 2013.
...
The Bears have done a good job of avoiding a lot of dead money against their cap since Cliff Stein was hired as contract negotiator in 2002 and they’ve followed what former Green Bay Packers cap manager Andrew Brandt calls the “pay as you go” model, meaning you try to avoid restructures that push this year’s cap issues into future issues.

The Chicago Bears already have restructured the contract of Julius Peppers once, and that's a primary reason the club may look for other ways to create additional cap space for 2013.
...
The Bears have done a good job of avoiding a lot of dead money against their cap since Cliff Stein was hired as contract negotiator in 2002 and they’ve followed what former Green Bay Packers cap manager Andrew Brandt calls the “pay as you go” model, meaning you try to avoid restructures that push this year’s cap issues into future issues.